Video: New York Dogs And Their Thoughts

by Elizabeth Seward on

New York dogs are one of my favorite things about New York, seriously. Sure, plenty of other New York things come before the dogs of New York for me, but the dogs do make the list. And even though I love dogs of all nationalities, so to speak, New Yorker dogs are especially … diverse. Much like New Yorker humans, the dogs of this city are often pampered, neurotic, resourceful and/or everything in between. Dog parks are a great place to see New Yorkers let their notorious guards down and this video, created by ANIMAL, is also a great place to see New Yorkers let their guards down. When faced with the question “What do you think your dog is thinking,” these New Yorkers and their dogs took the opportunity to self-express (and project).

[Thanks, ANIMAL]

A World Health Map

by Elizabeth Seward on

Odra Noel is a scientific artist who has just created and released a piece she called “The Map of Health.” The map provides a visual representation of diseases affecting regions of the world. What’s more is that she uses depictions of affected body parts by each disease for each disease. The USA, which struggles with obesity and obesity-related diseases, is speckled with fat tissue. And with HIV being a leading cause of death in many countries of Africa, the continent is covered in images of blood cells. It’s an interesting and insightful map, one that might lend some thought or conversation about the people we meet when we travel and what kinds of illnesses they deal with regularly.

Thanks, Laughing Squid.

Fascinating Map Of London By Stephen Walter

by Elizabeth Seward on


Stephen Walter has a way of creating complex and obsessive art — specifically, maps. His maps of various areas in England are often enlightening, but he has himself beat with one of his latest creations: a fascinating map of London and its underground. The map was commissioned by the London Transport Museum and while doing his research for the project, Walter uncovered legions of undiscovered facts about London and began incorporating the eerie history beneath the surface of London into the map itself. The map isn’t all historical facts, though. Interjecting his own imagination with fabled stories and general lore alongside the facts, Walter created a map like no other — it transports you into a magical, parallel universe of London, where hearsay is marked and remembered.

[Thanks, Intelligent Life]

Los Angeles County Museum Of Art Inaugurates African Gallery

by Sean McLachlan on

The Los Angeles County Museum Of Art is inaugurating its new Africa gallery with an exhibition of art from the Luba Kingdom.

“Shaping Power: Luba Masterworks from the Royal Museum for Central Africa” examines the royal art of the powerful Luba Kingdom, which from 1585-1889 dominated central Africa. Its royal lineage was highly regarded and developed an elaborate artwork to reflect its prestige.
The exhibition includes many objects loaned by the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Belgium, like this mask of a legendary hero. Many of the items depict women. While they didn’t rule, they were considered the spiritual guardians of the kingship and the creators of life. A Luba proverb says, “Men are chiefs in the daytime, but women are chiefs at night.” Among the works of art are masks, headrests, sceptres, thrones and cups.

The new Africa gallery is located next to the Egyptian gallery to highlight the influences the two regions had on one another. In addition to special exhibitions, the gallery will also host the museum’s permanent collection.

“Shaping Power: Luba Masterworks from the Royal Museum for Central Africa” runs until January 5, 2014.

Macy’s New York City July Fourth Fireworks In Time-Lapse (VIDEO)

by Elizabeth Seward on


The folks over at ANIMAL know how to churn out good, art-centric content without fail and with this video of Macy’s New York City Fireworks 2013, they’ve done it again. I accidentally missed the fireworks show myself while disoriented at a house party on Staten Island, unsure of which direction would take me to the view of the show from the water, and I attempted to make up for the mishap by looking at videos of fireworks when I got home that evening. But videos of fireworks are generally boring, which is why ANIMAL’s time-lapse approach to the NYC July Fourth fireworks is brilliant – in about one minute, you’ll see around 1500 exposures taken by ANIMAL’s Aymann Ismail from the ANIMAL office rooftop.

[Thanks, ANIMAL]